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Samoan From USC Drafted In Second Round By NFL's Pittsburg Steelers

Submitted by PIR Editor on Thu, 05/04/2017 - 14:22

20-year old John Smith-Schuster was youngest player taken in draft

APIA, Samoa (Samoa Observer, May 5, 2017) – A young Samoan has been drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers for the N.F.L.

On 28 April 2017, John Smith-Schuster, also known as JuJu Smith-Schuster, was drafted by the Steelers.

He was picked in the 2nd round, 62nd pick overall in the 2017 NFL Draft with his parents, siblings, family and friends by his side in Newport Beach, California.

Born 22 November 1996, JuJu Smith-Schuster is the son of Lawrence and Sammy Toa Schuster of Long Beach, California.

He is the second eldest of seven children.

He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and in 2014 he signed a four-year college football contract with the University of Southern California (USC) - Trojans.

After his junior season in 2016, JuJu Smith-Schuster decided to forgo his senior year at USC to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

At 20 years old, JuJu Smith-Schuster is the youngest draftee of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Supported, encouraged and surrounded by his loving parents, siblings, aunties, uncles, cousins and friends in Newport Beach, CA. Screams, laughter and tears of joy filled the room when the draft pick was confirmed via phone call from his agency, Roc Nation, before it went live on television worldwide.

A humble and hard-working young man, throughout his football career thus far, he has played through injuries and hardships to get to where he is today.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is quoted in numerous articles crediting his parents and immediate families for his success and most importantly, our heavenly Father.

“As a family, we are proud, blessed and humbled by this young man’s achievements and we wish him continued success in his NFL career and beyond.”

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.